Low thermal signature camouflage garnish

Abstract

The invention uses a garnish of tufts of filaments or strips attached to camouflage material, particularly camouflage material for use on mobile equipment, vehicles and personnel. The garnish or tuft is formed from a sheet of flexible, low emissivity material that has been cut into filaments or strips adhesively attached along one uncut longitudinal strip edge portion of the sheet. The tuft is formed by rolling the strip edge portion longitudinally around one part of a tuft retaining anchor, to form a rolled, adhesive-bound segment attached to the tuft part. When the rolled strips or filaments are so bound about the tuft retaining anchor part, a tuft is formed therefrom. When all the tuft retaining anchor parts are assembled, the tuft retaining anchor and tuft together constitute the garnish. A plurality of garnishes is attached to a base camouflage material on, e.g., mobile equipment, vehicles and personnel. The garnishes are preferably removably attached, to enable the color and other properties of the tuft to be varied in accordance with the surroundings in which the camouflage is to be effected. The tuft effectively absorbs and then dissipates heat by inducing air currents around the camouflaged object. The heat absorbed and dissipated otherwise would have been absorbed either by the base camouflage material or the device sought to be camouflaged, with a concomitant increase in the infrared signature of that device. This absorption and dissipation of heat is particularly effective when conditions of bright sunshine and calm or still conditions exist, especially in the early morning hours.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A garnish for a base camouflage material for avoiding infrared detection of a body, comprising: a tuft retaining anchor including a shoulder portion for retaining the garnish in attachment with the base camouflage material, the tuft retaining anchor further including a retaining rivet and a retaining collar,   a tuft of strips, wherein the tuft is made from a sheet of garnish material having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of slits substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the slits forming strips of garnish material, the sheet having an adhesive layer along a strip edge portion, the slits extending across the sheet to the strip edge portion, wherein the tuft is formed when the sheet is coiled along the uncut strip portion, and the coiled strip portion is disposed between the retaining rivet and the retaining collar and is at least partially retained in coiled condition by the adhesive layer.   
     
     
       2. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the strips has substantially the same length. 
     
     
       3. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strips have lengths defining an angled line. 
     
     
       4. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strips have lengths defining a parabolic curve. 
     
     
       5. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the strips have variable lengths. 
     
     
       6. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tuft retaining anchor comprises a retaining collar, a lock pin, and an inner retaining rivet, and the lock pin locks the inner retaining rivet in locking position in the retaining collar. 
     
     
       7. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 6, wherein the lock pin is removable from the inner retaining rivet to allow release from the locking position. 
     
     
       8. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shoulder portion passes through a washer for attaching the garnish to the base camouflage material. 
     
     
       9. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base camouflage material is an artificial surface mimicking the appearance of natural covering material. 
     
     
       10. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tuft retaining anchor further comprises a locking pin. 
     
     
       11. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 10, wherein the locking pin is inserted into a centrally disposed opening in the retaining rivet. 
     
     
       12. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tuft retaining anchor further comprises an elastomeric washer. 
     
     
       13. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 12, wherein the elastomeric washer is disposed between the retaining collar and the base material. 
     
     
       14. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 1, wherein the garnish material comprises materials having different visual and/or infrared colors to allow matching with different background colors. 
     
     
       15. A camouflage material for avoiding detection of an underlying body by an infrared detection device, comprising: an underlying layer of a base camouflage material having a plurality of openings therethrough;   a plurality of garnishes, each garnish comprising a tuft retaining anchor including a shoulder portion for retaining the mandrel in attachment to the base camouflage material, a retaining rivet and a retaining collar, and further comprising a tuft of strips, wherein the tuft is made from a sheet of garnish material having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of slits substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the slits forming strips of garnish material, the sheet having an adhesive layer along a strip edge portion, the slits extending across the sheet to the strip edge portion, wherein the tuft is formed when the sheet is coiled along the strip edge portion and the coiled strip edge portion is disposed between the retaining rivet and the retaining collar, and the sheet is at least partially retained in coiled condition by the adhesive layer; and   each of the plurality of garnishes is attached to the underlying layer by means of the shoulder portion.   
     
     
       16. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein each of the strips has substantially the same length. 
     
     
       17. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the strips have lengths defining an angled line. 
     
     
       18. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the strips have lengths defining a parabolic curve. 
     
     
       19. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the strips have variable lengths. 
     
     
       20. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the tuft retaining anchor comprises a retaining collar, a lock pin, and an inner retaining rivet, and the lock pin locks the inner retaining rivet in locking position in the retaining collar. 
     
     
       21. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 20, wherein the lock pin is removable from the inner retaining rivet to allow release from the locking position. 
     
     
       22. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the shoulder portion passes through a washer for attaching the garnish to the base camouflage material. 
     
     
       23. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the base camouflage material is an artificial surface mimicking the appearance of natural covering material. 
     
     
       24. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the tuft retaining anchor further comprises a locking pin. 
     
     
       25. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 24, wherein the locking pin is inserted into a centrally disposed opening in the retaining rivet. 
     
     
       26. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the tuft retaining anchor further comprises an elastomeric washer. 
     
     
       27. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 26, wherein the elastomeric washer is disposed between the retaining collar and the base material. 
     
     
       28. A garnish for a camouflage material as claimed in claim 15, wherein the garnish material comprises materials having different visual and/or infrared colors to allow matching with different background colors.